Could've been better
I first checked out Elephant by Gus Van Sant because a friend loved it. Although the story was strong and had a lot of potential, this was an overall, weak film. I understand that Van Sant just picked these kids off of the streets of Portland but he could've at least yelled "CUT!" a few times during the filming due to poor acting. The movie tries to create realism by using abnormally long shots and following students from point a to point b. I was alright with that as well. What I didn't like was that he could never allow any character to have anything that would distinct them from other students emotionally-wise. What I mean by this is that when the students die, I couldn't really feel anything for them.